Pipe-bending machine.



C. N. BROWN. PIPE BBNDING MACHINE. APPLIUATION FILED JULY 9, 1902.

Patented June 29,1909.

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PIPE BENDING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 9, 1902.

Patented June 29, 1909.

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WITNEEEEE: ma@ Q "www UNITED sTATEs PATENT oivEioE.

CHARLES N. BROWN, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,

TO AMERICAN CIRCULAR LOOM COMPANY, OF CHELSEA, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORA- TION OFA MAINE.

PIPE-BENDING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent. l

Patented .Time 29, 1909.

Application led July 9, 1902. Serial No. 114,919.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES N. BROWN, of Boston, in the county of Suolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefullm rovements in Pipe-Bending Machines, of W ich the following is a speciication. g

v This invention relates to machines for bending pipe, and it consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of lparts, which will be hereinafter fully delatter havin scribed; in the specification, clearly illustrated inv lthe drawings, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawin and the characters marked thereon, which form a part of this specification, like charactersdesignating like parts or features, as the case may be,'.wherever they occur. f

Of the drawin s,-Figure 1 represents a top plan view o a pipe-bendingmachine constructed in accordance with my inventlon. thereof. Fig. 3 represents a section on line 3--3 bf Fig. 2, looking in. the direction of the arrow. Fig. 4 represents a longitudinal median section. Fig. 5 represents a plan view, partly in section, illustrating the position of the machine in bending the pipe. Fig. 6 represents a section on the line 6-6 of. Fig. 4. Fi 7 represents ay section on the line 7-7 o Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawings- 1 designates the-frame' or bed ofthe machine, the same being provided with suitable supportin legs or standards, and having bearings or a main drive-shaft 2 and a crank-shaft 3, the a large gear 5 aiiixed to its end and mes g with a small gear' or inion 4, aixed to the end of the drive-shaft 2. The .drive-shaft 2 is provided with a beltpulley 6, which may be connected with the shaft 2 by means of a suitable clutch whereby the machine can be started and stopped at will.

' The shaft 3 is provided, intermediate of its ends, with a crank 7, connected by a pitman`8 with a slide 9, the latter being mounted to reciprocate horizontall in ides '10, 10 on the machine bed 1. The pitma may, as shown, be formed in two oppositelythreaded sections joined by a nut 17, the whole forming a turn-buckle whereby the Fig. 2 represents a side elevation- I'said abutments.

. groove relation of the bending vdies maybe adjusted or varied.

The front edge 11 of the. slide 9 is convexed or curved outwardly, and constitutesa former, the shape of whose working face is determined by the amount or angle of bend which it is desired to give to the pipe.

The slide 9 has integral strengthening ribs formed on its up er side, as shown, extending from one eng nearly to the other, and the T-head of the pitman is journaled on a pin 19 held in said integral ribs; hence directness of thrust and accuracy of operation are insured. m

,18 18 represents two rollers loosely mounted on vertical studs 15 15 in the plane of movement of the former 114said studs being supported by ears formed on a raised portion 14 of the machine bed integral therewith as shown. The rollers 18 constitute abutment-s adapted to engage the pipe (represented by '16 in the drawings) on the opposite side from the former 11, and separated by a space into which the bend of the pipe may enter. Owing to the rollers being mounted on studs which are, in turn, supported directly in ears integral with 'the location relatively to each other and to the thrustv of the former 11 is always positive and certain. The s ace between these roller abutments is of suoli depth that no pressure `machine bed itself, their fixed and. rigid is exerted 'on the pipe between the abutments and o posite that side of the pipe whichl is acte upon by the former. Therefore the pipe is bent solely b the pressure-of the former against one si e thereof, such pressure acting on` the pipe^between the relatively immovable abutments, there being 'nothing which would have a tendency to compress or' flatten the pipe by pressure against the opposite side thereof between Both the former 11 on its face 13, and the rollers 18 are to conform to the cross-sectional curvature of the pipe. When the former ,and

workin the rollers come together in their nearest approach they are separated by a space large enough to admit the diameter of the pipe; The primary function 4of the rollers 18, 18 105 is to act' as abutments for the pipe, resisting at separateV points the thrust of the former on the pipe, but permittin the p ipe to bend 'freely between them an oiering no opposing surface to engage the pipe on the outer side of the bend. The secondary function of the rollers is to reduce friction' during the bending operation.

In operating with my improved machine, a length of pipe 16 is placed horizontally between the dies, former 11 and the rollers 18, 18 when the former is retracted, and is preferably' held against the rollers. As the former is moved toward the pipe, by the revolution of the drive-shaft 2, transmitted through the gears and the crank and pitman to the slide 9, finally meeting the pipe, the latter is pressed between the rollers 18, 18, and in so doing, those portions of the pipe in contact with the rollers, partake of a limited longitudinal movement towardV the center of the bend, which if the rollers were not present, would set up considerable injurious friction. The rollers, however, rotate in obedience to this movement and hence avoid the friction. The former and rollers finally come togetherin the relation shown in Fig. 5, and complete the bending of thepipe in conformity with the curvature of the former. A The former then recedes and the bent pipe can be removed. y

By means of my invention, I am enabled to attain greatly improved results in bending Pipe- It is obviously immaterial to the invention whether the relative movement of the former and abutments consists of a movement of the former only, or of the abutments only, or of both former and abutments. It is to be noted that the /O'rooving of the rollers and the 'former a ords a kind of matrix or socket conforming to the crosssectional curvature ofr the pipe and prevent ing the walls of the pipe from assuinlng an elliptical cross-section because of thebending stress.

Having thus explained the nature of my invention, and described a way of construct-V ing and using the same, though without attempting to set forth all of. the forms in which. it may be made, or alll of the modes 1n which it may be used, I declare that what I clalm, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is '1. A pipe-bending machine comprising a frame or bed, a slide having integral strengthening ribs on its upper side and ribs, means for reciprocating the slide vthrough the mediumy .of said itman, two opposed abutments consisting ,0 rollers having bearings in rigid integral portions of the bed and separated by acspace into which the bend. of t-he pipe enters, the working face of the slide and the peripheries of the rollers being oppositely grooved to conform to the cross-sectional curvature of the pipe.

2.V A pipe-bending machine comprising a frame or bed, a 'slide having integral strengthening ribs on its upper side and mounted in suitable guideways on said bed, and having a working face convexed to conform to t-he inner side of the bend in a pipe and to shape the bend, a pitman having one end pivoted between and supported by said ribs, means for reciprocating the slide through the medium of said pitman, two opposed abutments supported by rigid -invtegral portions of the bed and separated by a space into which the bend of the pipe enters, the co-acting working face of the slide and of the rigid abutment being oppositely grooved to conform to the cross-sectional curvature of the pipe. 3. A 4pipe-bending machine comprising fixed abutments concaved to conform to the cross-section of the pipe .and locatedl with a free space between them to receive the bend of the pipe, an oppositely concave former and means to impart a relative movement of said former with respect to said 'abutments into and out of the space between the abutments. f

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature, inl presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES N. BROWN.

Witnesses: I

P. W. PEZZETTI, H. L. ROBBIN. 

